Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Two
weeks back here in Wavescan, we presented Part 1 in the topic: A Countrywide Tour of the Radio Scene in
Modern Day Turkey.In this previous
topic, we presented the story of regional radio stations, both shortwave and
mediumwave, and we got halfway around this circular tour, covering just 5
cities: Ankara, Istanbul, Trabzon, Erzurum, and Van.

In our program today, we pick up the
story of this clockwise radio tour around Turkey, and we begin in the city of
Hakkari which is located right in the south east corner of Turkey, quite close
to the international borders with Iran and Iraq. This city, Hakkari, is a quite smaller city
with a population of around 60,000, and it is located in a ruggedly beautiful
majestic mountain area. It is a little
known fact that this area was the original home of the beautiful tulip
flower. The tulip was transplanted to
Holland in the 1500s, where it has become a world famous icon of florid beauty.

A radio station was installed in
Hakkari in 1973, a shortwave facility of just 1 kW operating just above the 41
meter band on 7650 kHz, and available information would suggest that it was on
the air for a little over a half dozen years.
There was no high powered mediumwave station in this city to serve as a
replacement for the then defunct shortwave transmitter.

We move next to the city of
Diyarbakir which is located on the banks of the historic River Tigris, a little
north of the border with the country of Iraq.
The name of this city is derived from its association with copper which
has been mined in this area for centuries.
Diyarbakir is famous also for silver
artifacts, and also for its huge watermelons that can weigh as much as 80
pounds.

In the radio scene at Diyarbakir, there was a shortwave station
that began as a low power facility of just 300 watts around 1962. The introductory channel was 9760 kHz, though
half a dozen years later when the power was increased to 1 kW, a new channel
was chosen, 7650 kHz.

This regional shortwave station was
on the air for a little over a dozen years, and it was replaced by a high
powered 300 kW mediumwave station on 1062 kHz.
Mediumwave Diyarbakir
is still on the air to this day.

Location number 8 in our circular
radio tour around the Middle Eastern nation of Turkey is Iskenderun which was established by
the famous Greek army general, Alexander the Great of ancient Macedonia in the
year 333. The current name of this city
is derived from the original name of its founder, Alexander. This city, Iskenderun, is located in a narrow
peninsula-like section of Turkish territory that juts down into coastal Syria.

The records inform us that there was
a shortwave station here, and it was on the air for half a dozen years during
the 1960s. This station was also a low
power operation, with just 300 watts on 9770 kHz.

Near the eastern edge of Turkey’s Mediterranean coastline is the
almost twin city complex of Mersin and Tarsus, an area that is also rich in
Biblical backgrounds. The Old Testament
Scriptures inform us that God called the Prophet Jonah to visit the city of
Nineveh, and warn its inhabitants of impending doom.

However, Jonah became overwhelmed
with the magnitude of the task and he decided instead to board a ship and flee
to Tarsus. Although the Bible does not
inform us of the exact location of this Tarsus, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus
states that Tarsus was located in Cilicia, that is modern day Turkey. In those ancient times, there was another
city with a similar name, Tarshish, on the Mediterranean coast of what is
modern day Spain.

The
early Christian traveling evangelist, St Paul is also associated with the city
of Tarsus, his birth location when the city was a Free City under the Roman
occupation government.

The nearby city Mersin is named
after the Myrtle Tree, or the Mersin Tree as they call it in their language. There is currently another high powered 300 kW
mediumwave station giving coverage to these areas, and its operating channel is
630 kHz.

The city of Anatalya is located on
the edge of the Mediterranean about half way along the south coast of
Turkey. This city is a major tourist
location, with a resident population of one million, and a tourist influx of 12
million each year. It is recorded in the
New Testament Scriptures that Paul and Barnabas traversed through Anatalya on
their way homeward from Europe to Jerusalem.

The
high powered mediumwave station giving coverage to Anatalya and its environs is
a 300 kW unit operating on 891 kHz.

Our final visit in this circular
radio tour of 11 locations in Turkey is the city of Izmir which is located at
the center of the very irregular western coastline. The chief export from this city has been
myrrh, from which the city received its name.

Likewise, Izmir is mentioned in the
New Testament of the Holy Bible as Smyrna and the Prophet John, who was named
as one of the brothers of our Lord, wrote a short epistle to the Christians
living in this city. It is contained in
the Book of Revelation as one of the 7 cities on a circular travel route in
western Turkey.

Izmir was the first regional city in
Turkey in which a shortwave transmitter was installed, and it was also allotted
a callsign. This station, a 1 kW unit on
7650 kHz under the callsign TAZ, was inaugurated in the early 1950s.

This regional shortwave station was
in operation for the longest period of time, nearly a score of years. Some time after its demise, a new high
powered mediumwave station was installed and this unit, still on the air to
this day, emits 200 kW on 927 kHz.

And so we come to the end of this
our double program as a circular radio tour of Turkey, a visit to 11 different
locations in two programs here in Wavescan.
During this circular journey around Turkey, we discovered that there
were seven low powered shortwave stations on the air from regional locations
during a 30 year period in the 1950s, 1960s and into the 1970s. We discovered also that these days there are
now six high powered mediumwave stations on the air in Turkey. Just two locations have hosted both an
earlier low powered shortwave station and a subsequent high powered mediumwave
station, and these were the cities of Diyarbakir and Izmir.

Monday, June 27, 2016

Our June 28 (June 27 in the Americas on WBCQ) program includes special guest
María Felicia Pérez, director of Coro Exaudi, winner of the Choral Music
category in Cubadisco 2016. We'll also play some Popular Dance Music by Jesús
Cutiño, nominated in the Popular Dance Music - New Talents category and some of
Live in Cuba by Wynton Marsalis, which was awarded an International Prize at
Cubadisco. Also, some Irakere.
Two listening options on shortwave:
WBCQ,
7490 KHz, Tuesdays 0000 UTC (8pm EDT Mondays)
Channel 292, 6070 KHz, Tuesdays
1900 UTC (2100 CEST)
See the NOTES section of our Facebook page more
information.

Solar activity was very low during the entire summary period with only B-class flare activity observed. No Earth-directed CMEs
occurred.

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit reached high levels on 21-22 Jun and 25-26 Jun following coronal hole high speed stream events. Normal to moderate levels were observed on the remaining days.

Geomagnetic field activity was quiet on 20-21 Jun. Mostly quiet conditions were observed early on 22 Jun but activity increased after 22/1800 UTC due to enhanced solar wind parameters and unsettled to minor storm levels were observed. Quiet to unsettled conditions with isolated active periods were observed on 23-24 Jun due to negative polarity CH HSS effects. Quiet to unsettled conditions were observed on 25-26 Jun with an isolated period of active conditions observed from 26/2100-2400 UTC due to CH HSS effects.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 27 June - 23 July 2016

Solar activity is expected to be very low throughout the forecast period with a slight chance for C-class activity.

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at high levels from 27 Jun to 01 Jul following CH HSS effects. Normal to moderate levels are expected on 02-03 Jul as a CIR redistributes electrons. High levels are expected to return from 04-07 Jul following a recurrent CH HSS. Moderate levels are expected from 08-21 Jul followed by moderate to high levels on 22-23 Jul following another recurrent CH HSS.

Geomagnetic field activity is expected to begin at unsettled to active levels but decrease to mostly quiet levels by midday on 27 Jun and remain quiet through 29 Jun. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected from 30 Jun to 05 Jul with isolated active conditions possible on 03 Jul due to a recurrent negative polarity CH HSS. Quiet conditions are expected on 06 Jul. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected from 07-12 Jul with minor storms possible on 11 Jul and active periods likely on 12 Jul due to effects from a recurrent positive polarity CH HSS. Mostly quiet conditions are expected to return from 13-18 Jul with unsettled periods possible on 14-15 Jul. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected on 19-21 Jul due to negative polarity CH HSS effects with an isolated active period likely on 19 Jul. Quiet conditions are expected for the remainder of the period.

Part 2 we continue opening the vaults and exploring present and past interval signals. An interval or tuning signal is a distinctive tune or sound that tells us who's on air. This is a two part series.

Comes
the month of August and a large number of radio personnel, perhaps even a
hundred or more, will gather in Miami, Florida for the next HFCC, High
Frequency Coordination Conference, for the purpose of co-ordinating their
programming schedules on the international shortwave bands. In our program today, we begin to take a look
at the fascinating radio backgrounds in the American state of Florida.

The
name Florida means Flowery Easter, and it is a state that has a very varied and
interesting historic past. It is made up
of a peninsula 450 miles long and 100 miles wide, together with what is
described as the panhandle in the northwest.

Then there is also the chain of some
70 islands stretching out west for 120 miles from south Florida that are known
collectively as the Florida Keys. In
prehistoric times, a half a dozen sub-tribes of Native Americans inhabited the
islands of the Florida Keys, mostly from North America though at times some
from the islands in the Caribbean. The
word Key is taken from the Spanish word Cayo, meaning a small island.

Florida is noted for its many
tourist locations, beaches, fun parks, car racing, alligators, orange orchards,
the Kennedy Space Center, and Disney World in Orlando. Disney World was opened in 1971, and it is the most visited
vacation resort in the world, with an attendance in excess of 52 million people
annually. According to Wikipedia, the
Adventist operated Florida Hospital is the largest hospital in the United
States, and it is the second largest employer in the Orlando area, after Disney
World.

It was on April 2, 1513 during the
Easter season that the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed on the east coast of the Florida
peninsula on his epic voyage from the Caribbean and he claimed the territory
for Spain. Half a century later, the
Spanish established a colony at this same location and St. Augustine was born,
the first European colony on the mainland United States.

Over the centuries, England, Spain,
France and the United States have all demonstrated a political interest in
Florida until on March 3, 1821, Spain sold Florida to the United States for $5
million. In exchange, the United States
gave up its interest in Cuba.

Forty years later, in January 1861,
Florida seceded from the United States at the time of the American Civil
War. However 4 years later again,
Florida was once more an integral part of the United States of America.

In 1905, work began on the Overseas
Railroad, running from Miami out over the Keys towards Key West and it was
opened to traffic 7 years later. It was
described as the 8th Wonder of the World, and at one stage
it employed as many as 4,0000 men in construction.

The original Overseas Highway
running somewhat parallel to the railroad, was opened for vehicle traffic in
1928, though there was a 41 mile long stretch requiring transportation by
ferry. However, the railroad went
bankrupt in 1935 due finally to a hurricane and the roadway took over much of
the railroad right of way for re-construction for motor traffic.

The city of Key West, at the end of
the old Overseas Railway and the subsequent Overseas Highway, was the largest
city in Florida in the late 1800s. On
April 23, 1982, the mayor of Key West declared his city as the independent
Conch Republic, for one minute. One
minute later, when the independent Conch Republic surrendered symbolically to
the United States, he requested $1 billion in foreign aid. Each year, the re-enacting of the Conch
Republic incident forms part of their annual celebrations.

In 1902 the federal government
acquired a block of land at the western edge of Key West that was bounded by
Caroline, Whitehead, Eaton and Thomas Streets for the installation of a
wireless station. Three tall wooden
masts standing 208 feet high were erected, two within the designated block of
land and the third just off the property at the corner on Front Street. A caged antenna array requiring 8½ miles of 7 strand phosphor bronze
wire weighing 1/3rd ton was strung between the three towers.

The American De Forest Co installed
a 35 kW spark transmitter in a new building underneath the antenna system. An additional antenna system that was coupled
to a rudimentary receiver was installed at the eastern edge of the city of Key
West. The operating channel for the
transmitter was 1250 metres, equivalent to 240 kHz longwave. Initially the callsign for this new De Forest
radio station was KW, though under the navy quite soon afterwards it was
changed to RD.

In 1909, the callsign was
regularized to an American naval callsign NAR, though when in use for army
communications, the call was WUBV. In
1914, the three wooden masts were replaced by three steel towers, and as this stage,
daily time signals were transmitted for navigational purposes. Electronic equipment was installed in the mid
1920s; and in 1969, the three steel towers were removed and replaced with a
single mast.

These days, radio station NAR at Key
West in Florida celebrates the distinction of being the oldest continuously
operated American naval communication station in the world.

For a few years back in the early
1900s, there was another spark wireless station on the air in Key West, and
this was a commercial operation under the United Wireless Telegraph
Company. When this station was installed
in 1907, it took over the earlier temporary callsign KW from the other
station. However, because the two
stations were so close together, there was considerable mutual interference, so
half a dozen years later, the United Wireless Telegraph station was closed.

VOA Radiogram this weekend will
include the Olivia 16-1000 mode with a center frequency of 2000 Hz. If you
happen to experience co-channel interference consisting of voice and/or music,
the robustness of the Olivia 16-1000 mode in combination with the higher audio
frequency might allow a successful decode. At 40 words per minute, Olivia
16-1000 is faster than Olivia 64-2000.

Here is the lineup for VOA
Radiogram, program 169, 25-26 June 2016, all in MFSK32 except where
noted:

The Mighty
KBC will transmit to North America
Sunday at 0000-0100 UTC (8-9 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz, via Germany. A minute of
MFSK32 will be at about 0030 UTC. KBC will also broadcast to Europe Sunday at
0900-1000 UTC on 6095 kHz. A minute of MFSK32 will be at about 0930 UTC. Reports
for KBC reception and decode to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com
.

DigiDX will provide DX and
media news in MFSK32 and a mixture of other modes:

IBC (Italian Broadcasting Corporation) has a broadcast to Europe
on 6070 kHz, Wednesdays, 2000-2200 UTC, with MFSK32 and Olivia 16-500 at
2030-2100 UTC. See http://ibcradio.webs.com/ for the complete
schedule and contact information.

Download apps
via shortwave? A recent
transmission of a mobile app from shortwave station KTWR in Guam, to a DRM
receiver in Thailand, has caused much discussion. See coverage at drmna.info
and The
SWLing Post. While DRM offers more bandwidth and faster download speeds than
the VOA Radiogram method of digital modes via analog radio, VOA Radiogram data
can be received on any radio.

Solar activity was at very low levels the majority of the period with low levels observed on 13 and 19 June due to a C3 flare at 13/0552 UTC from Region 2552 (N15, L=359, class/area Dao/150 on 11 June) and a C1 flare at 19/1158 UTC from Region 2558 (N13, L=215, class/area Cso/030 on 19 June). The majority of the B-class activity was caused by Region 2555 (S09, L=274, class/area Cao/080 on 17 June). No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections were observed during the period.

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at normal to moderate levels throughout the period and briefly reached high levels on 19 June with a maximum flux of 1,030 pfu at 19/1640 UTC.

The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to G2-Moderate storm levels. Solar wind conditions began the period under a waning positive polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). Solar wind speeds decreased from approximately 620 km/s to around 420 km/s by midday on 14 June. Total field decreased from 8 nT to 4 nT. By late on 14 June, total field increased to 15 nT with the Bz component mostly southward near -14 nT while solar wind increased to a maximum of 772 km/s at 15/0410 UTC, indicative of a co-rotating interaction region followed by another positive polarity CH HSS. The geomagnetic field responded with quiet to active levels on 13 June, quiet to G2-Moderate storm levels on 14 June and quiet to G1-Minor storm levels on 15 June. By early on 16 June, total field decreased to around 6 nT with solar wind speeds in the 500-600 km/s range. These conditions continued until 19 June when solar wind speeds decreased to nominal levels. Quiet conditions were observed on 16 and 19 June with quiet to unsettled levels on 17-18 June.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 20 June - 16 July 2016

Solar activity is expected to be at very low to low levels for the forecast period.

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at normal to moderate levels with high levels likely on 20-22 June, 26 June-01 July, 04-07 July and again on 16 July due to CH HSS activity.

Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at unsettled to active levels from 23-27 June, 02-03 July, 07-12 July and 14-15 July. G1-Minor storm levels are likely on 02-03 July and 11 July due to recurrent CH HSS activity.

State-owned VBTC, which runs both services, was cut off by its electricity provider last week after failing to settle its debt, according to the Pasifik News website. It had continued to operate using diesel-powered generators - but not for long. On Monday the fuel ran out, leaving both its TV and radio stations silent. The power was reportedly restored on Tuesday.

The website says VBTC has faced this problem before. The same thing happened last year after the company failed to cough up more than 12m vatu (£75,500; $107,000) in unpaid power bills.

Only last week the company's new chairman, Jonethy Jerety, vowed to provide nationwide radio coverage, after Vanuatu's prime minister criticised the service being provided to outlying islands. Communities rely on the broadcaster for essential information during cyclones or volcanic eruptions, which are not uncommon in a country located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire.

VORW Radio
International will be having a special
shortwave broadcast on June 21st and 22nd. The broadcast will consist of talk
and music and I hope to provide listeners in Europe, Asia and North America with
a good time over the airwaves, with some good music!

Just a short reminder of our regular weekly brodcasts on Wednesdays.
Marconi Radio International will once again be on air tomorrow 22 June 2016,as
follows: 1645-1730 UTC on 13960 kHz (USB mode), 1800-1900 UTC on 15070 kHz (USB
mode), 1955-2055 UTC and 2130-2215 UTC on 7700 kHz (USB Mode).

Our broadcasts include some kind of programmes now sadly missing from most
shortwave radio stations: an old style DX show in English “Italian Short Wave
Panorama” and Italian "Panorama Onde Corte" with lot of recent logs as well as
a mailbag programme in Italian. Our station identification announcements are
not only in English and Italian but also in French, German, Japanese, Spanish
and Catalan.

Last but not least, we need your help! If you use social networks, please
post an announcement on Facebook or send out a tweet the day before the
broadcast. You can also forward this message to a friend. This should help
increase our potential audience.

We hope to hear from a lot of shortwave listeners about our
transmissions.

The 20th edition of the "Broadcasting in Russian" Handbook, published by St.
Petersburg DX Club, has recently been released. The handbook features all radio
stations transmitting Russian language broadcasts in AM bands (on long, medium
and short waves) at present, both from Russia and abroad.

Station listings
include frequency and program schedules, transmitter location and power,
target areas, postal addresses, phone/fax numbers, Web sites, social network
pages, e-mail addresses as well as QSL policy info. The schedules are generally
valid until 29 October 2016 (i.e. during A16 broadcasting season).

The
Handbook is in Russian and distributed as a hard copy only. Volume is 68 pages
of A5 size. Please address your purchase requests and questions to
St.
Petersburg DX ClubAlexander Beryozkin,
P.O.Box 463
St. Petersburg, 190000 Russiaor by e-mail: dxspb@nrec.spb.ru.

The price is 5 EUR or 6 USD
(including delivery by registered mail). PayPal and Skrill money transfers are
accepted.Your comments and suggestions regarding the handbook contents are
always welcome.

Ever since
Adventist World Radio was inaugurated way back more than 40 years ago,
listeners in many countries on all continents have looked forward to
participating in the annual DX contest.
Our historical records show that the first listener contest was
conducted by the fledgling new AWR back during the year 1972, just a few months
after the official inauguration on October 1, 1971.

The longest
series of annual DX contests began under the original Adventist World Radio in
Asia, AWR-Asia in Poona India, and these were introduced just a few years
later, in 1977. Since then, this well
established AWR DX program has transmigrated from Asia to the United States,
and the name likewise has evolved into the now familiar “Wavescan”.

Throughout
all of these intervening years, the annual winner’s list contains the names of
well known international radio monitors living on all continents. In addition, the long roster of regional
winners over the years includes a host of names, international radio monitors
living in up to a hundred different countries.
Any and all entrants have an equal possibility of winning one of the
many awards that are available each year.

As Adventist World Radio enters into
its 45thyear of
international radio broadcasting, we take pleasure in announcing our annual “Wavescan”
DX contest for the year 2016. This year’s
contest is planned as the last ever contest from the AWR DX program “Wavescan” and
it comes to you under the title,

“Grand Finale” Annual DX Contest:

How Many AWR Shortwave Sites Have You
Verified?

In
short, you are invited to make up a list of all of your AWR QSL cards, one only
for each different AWR shortwave site. “Grand
Finale” Annual DX Contest:

How Many AWR Shortwave Sites Have You
Verified?

A.
How Many AWR Shortwave Sites Have You Verified?

* You are invited to make up a tabulated list of all of your
AWR QSL cards, one only for each AWR shortwave site. You may also include reception reports for
any AWR shortwave site that you have not yet verified, up to a maximum of three
additional sites. The listing of each
QSL card for each AWR site that you have verified should show the station name,
location, country, frequency, date and a brief description of the card. Here is a sample listing showing how to give
the information:-

1.
KSDA Agat Guam 11935 kHz 2015 March 1 Yellow Compass Card

2.
WRMI Okeechobee FL
9955 2013 Oct 29 Dr Chow Interview

3.
AWR Forli Italy 6205 1985
May 30 Forli Antenna

4.
SLBC Ekala Sri Lanka
6075 1984 Dec 30 Sines Antennas

5.
TIAWR Alajuela Costa Rica 15460 1986
Oct 17 Radio Lira Antenna

6.
Media Nauen Germany
9610 2016 Feb 14 Report enclosed

etc
etc

B.
Copy Three Cards

* Where possible, please copy any three of your AWR QSL
cards, preferably in color, though black and white can be acceptable, and
enclose with your contest entry.

C.
Your Best AWR QSL Card

*
Which is your best AWR QSL card? Explain why in one short paragraph.

D.
AWR Reception Reports

* You are invited to prepare three reception reports for the
broadcast on shortwave, mediumwave or FM of any AWR programming in any part of
the world. You may choose the
international shortwave programing from Adventist World Radio, via KSDA Guam,
or any of the shortwave relay stations that carry AWR programming, or any of
the 1700 local mediumwave or FM stations in any part of the world that are
affiliated with Adventist World Radio.
You may include up to three reception reports of AWR programing from shortwave
sites that you have not yet verified.

*
Please do not send a recording of your reception; we just need your honest
reception report on paper. All reception
reports will be verified with a special contest endorsement.

E.
Three Radio Cards

*
Where possible, you are invited to
include three radio cards for the Indianapolis Heritage Collection with your
contest entry. These cards may be old or
new, and they may be QSL
cards, reception report cards, or picture cards of radio stations, etc. Not valid for this contest are amateur cards
nor CB cards.

Other
Contest Details

* Well, there you have it, the details for our Wavescan 2016
“Grand Finale DX Contest”. This contest
will run through the month of August 2016, and all contest entries should be postmarked at your local post office
anywhere in the world on any date up to the end of the month of August 2016 and they should
be received at the AWR temporary post office address as given below no later
than the end of the month of September 2016.

* Post your entry with all items to Adventist World Radio,
remembering that neatness and preparation, will all feature in the judging
procedure. Due consideration will also
be given to the area of the world in which the contestant lives.

* Where possible, please enclose return postage in the form of currency
notes in any international currency, or mint postage stamps. Please note that IRC coupons are too
expensive for you to buy, and they are no longer valid in the United States.

* Please enclose your postal address label also.

* The awards for the 2016 AWR “Grand Finale DX Contest” will
be similar to all previous contests. There will be a special award for the world
winner, one of Jerome Berg’s radio history
books; and World Radio TV Handbook 2017 for each continental winner. In addition, there will be other special
awards as well as AWR souvenirs and radio curios for many participants.

* Each entry will receive the
special postage stamp that commemorates the 200th anniversary of Indiana.

* An additional ward is offered for
an entry from Australia or New Zealand, a copy of Dr. Bruce Carty’s colorfully prepared History of
Radio Broadcasting in Australia.

* All AWR reception reports will be verified with a specially
endorsed AWR QSL card. Please remember
that it will take a period of many months, well into the new year 2017, to
process all of the contest entries and reception reports, but each will in due
course be processed.

* Here is the only address for the “Grand Finale”
Annual DX Contest: How Many AWR Shortwave Sites Have You Verified? This postal address is temporary, and it is
open only during August and September 2016.